Operating Systems · AlmaLinux

AlmaLinux.
The CentOS replacement built to last.

A free, community-owned enterprise Linux distribution — binary compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux, built for production hosting, and the go-to choice for cPanel and DirectAdmin servers.

Free RHEL compatible DNF / YUM Long-term support
History & origin

Born from the end of CentOS.

For nearly two decades, CentOS was the default operating system for web hosting servers worldwide — a free, stable, binary-compatible rebuild of Red Hat Enterprise Linux that millions of servers ran without issue. In December 2020, Red Hat announced that CentOS Linux would be discontinued in favor of CentOS Stream, an upstream development distribution that no longer served as the stable production platform the hosting community relied on.

CloudLinux — the company behind CloudLinux OS and Imunify360 — responded within days. They committed over $1 million per year to build a true CentOS replacement, which they initially called Project Lenix. Renamed AlmaLinux in January 2021 (alma meaning "soul" in Latin languages), the project released its first stable version in March 2021. Governance was transferred to the independent AlmaLinux OS Foundation, a 501(c)(6) non-profit, ensuring no single company controls the distribution.

Today AlmaLinux is maintained by a community-elected board with backing from CERN, Fermilab, and over 25 corporate sponsors. It is the most widely adopted CentOS replacement in the web hosting industry.

Created byCloudLinux Inc (2021)
Maintained byAlmaLinux OS Foundation (non-profit)
Based onRed Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Package managerDNF (YUM compatible)
Release modelEnterprise lifecycle — long-term stable releases
Support lifecycleLong-term support — aligned with RHEL lifecycle
Official websitealmalinux.org
80% OFF 🚀 Shared Upgrade
Basic 2GB — Monthly
First month
$ 2 .00/mo
⚡ First month only — one-time offer
$10.00 → $10.00/mo from month 2
80% OFF FIRST MONTH
1
Shared vCPU
2 GiB
Memory
25 GB
NVMe Storage
5 TB
Transfer
  • Fully Managed — server, mail, security
  • Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
  • Free S3 Storage — 50 GB included
  • Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
  • 500% SLA Guarantee
Order Now — Start for $2
80% OFF ⭐ Most Popular
Basic 4GB — Monthly
First month
$ 4 .00/mo
⚡ First month only — one-time offer
$20.00 → $20.00/mo from month 2
80% OFF FIRST MONTH
2
Shared vCPU
4 GiB
Memory
50 GB
NVMe Storage
10 TB
Transfer
  • Fully Managed — server, mail, security
  • Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
  • Free S3 Storage — 100 GB included
  • Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
  • 500% SLA Guarantee
Order Now — Start for $4
80% OFF 📈 Best Performance
Basic 6GB — Monthly
First month
$ 6 .00/mo
⚡ First month only — one-time offer
$30.00 → $30.00/mo from month 2
80% OFF FIRST MONTH
3
Shared vCPU
6 GiB
Memory
75 GB
NVMe Storage
15 TB
Transfer
  • Fully Managed — server, mail, security
  • Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
  • Free S3 Storage — 150 GB included
  • Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
  • 500% SLA Guarantee
Order Now — Start for $6
80% OFF ⚡Raw Power
Basic 8GB — Monthly
First month
$ 8 .00/mo
⚡ First month only — one-time offer
$40.00 → $40.00/mo from month 2
75% OFF FIRST MONTH
4
Shared vCPU
8 GiB
Memory
100 GB
NVMe Storage
15 TB
Transfer
  • Fully Managed — server, mail, security
  • Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
  • Free S3 Storage — 200 GB included
  • Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
  • 500% SLA Guarantee
Order Now — Start for $8
70% OFF 💰 Most Affortable
Shared CPU 4GB — Monthly
First month
$ 6 .60/mo
⚡ First month only — one-time offer
$22.00 → $22.00/mo from month 2
70% OFF FIRST MONTH
1
Shared vCPU
4 GiB
Memory
50 GB
NVMe Storage
10 TB
Transfer
  • Fully Managed — server, mail, security
  • Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
  • Free S3 Storage — 100 GB included
  • Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
  • 500% SLA Guarantee
Order Now — Start for $7
70% OFF ⭐ Most Popular
Shared CPU 8GB — Monthly
First month
$ 13 .20/mo
⚡ First month only — one-time offer
$44.00 → $44.00/mo from month 2
70% OFF FIRST MONTH
2
Shared vCPU
8 GiB
Memory
100 GB
NVMe Storage
20 TB
Transfer
  • Fully Managed — server, mail, security
  • Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
  • Free S3 Storage — 200 GB included
  • Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
  • 500% SLA Guarantee
Order Now — Start for $13
70% OFF ⚡Apps Ready
Shared CPU 16GB — Monthly
First month
$ 26 .40/mo
⚡ First month only — one-time offer
$88.00 → $88.00/mo from month 2
70% OFF FIRST MONTH
4
Shared vCPU
16 GiB
Memory
200 GB
NVMe Storage
40 TB
Transfer
  • Fully Managed — server, mail, security
  • Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
  • Free S3 Storage — 400 GB included
  • Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
  • 500% SLA Guarantee
Order Now — Start for $26
70% OFF 🔥 High Density
Shared CPU 24GB — Monthly
First month
$ 39 .60/mo
⚡ First month only — one-time offer
$132.00 → $132.00/mo from month 2
70% OFF FIRST MONTH
6
Shared vCPU
24 GiB
Memory
300 GB
NVMe Storage
60 TB
Transfer
  • Fully Managed — server, mail, security
  • Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
  • Free S3 Storage — 600 GB included
  • Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
  • 500% SLA Guarantee
Order Now — Start for $40
60% OFF 🚀 Start Dedicated
Dedicated CPU 8GB — Monthly
First month
$ 19 .20/mo
⚡ First month only — one-time offer
$48.00 → $48.00/mo from month 2
60% OFF FIRST MONTH
1
Dedicated vCPU
8 GiB
Memory
100 GB
NVMe Storage
20 TB
Transfer
  • Fully Managed — server, mail, security
  • Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
  • Free S3 Storage — 200 GB included
  • Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
  • 500% SLA Guarantee
Order Now — Start for $9
60% OFF ⭐ Most Popular
Dedicated CPU 16GB — Monthly
First month
$ 38 .40/mo
⚡ First month only — one-time offer
$96.00 → $96.00/mo from month 2
60% OFF FIRST MONTH
2
Dedicated vCPU
16 GiB
Memory
200 GB
NVMe Storage
40 TB
Transfer
  • Fully Managed — server, mail, security
  • Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
  • Free S3 Storage — 400 GB included
  • Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
  • 500% SLA Guarantee
Order Now — Start for $38
60% OFF ⚡ CPU Powerhouse
Dedicated CPU 32GB — Monthly
First month
$ 76 .80/mo
⚡ First month only — one-time offer
$192.00 → $192.00/mo from month 2
60% OFF FIRST MONTH
4
Dedicated vCPU
32 GiB
Memory
400 GB
NVMe Storage
80 TB
Transfer
  • Fully Managed — server, mail, security
  • Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
  • Free S3 Storage — 800 GB included
  • Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
  • 500% SLA Guarantee
Order Now — Start for $76
60% OFF 🔥 Hundreds of Sites
Dedicated CPU 48GB — Monthly
First month
$ 115 .20/mo
⚡ First month only — one-time offer
$288.00 → $288.00/mo from month 2
60% OFF FIRST MONTH
6
Dedicated vCPU
48 GiB
Memory
600 GB
NVMe Storage
120 TB
Transfer
  • Fully Managed — server, mail, security
  • Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
  • Free S3 Storage — 1200 GB included
  • Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
  • 500% SLA Guarantee
Order Now — Start for $115
50% OFF 🚀 Start Dedicated
Storage Optimized 8GB — Monthly
First month
$ 28 .00/mo
⚡ First month only — one-time offer
$56.00 → $56.00/mo from month 2
50% OFF FIRST MONTH
1
Dedicated vCPU
8 GiB
Memory
200 GB
NVMe Storage
20 TB
Transfer
  • Fully Managed — server, mail, security
  • Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
  • Free S3 Storage — 400 GB included
  • Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
  • 500% SLA Guarantee
Order Now — Start for $28
50% OFF ⭐ Most Popular
Storage Optimized 16GB — Monthly
First month
$ 56 .00/mo
⚡ First month only — one-time offer
$112.00 → $112.00/mo from month 2
50% OFF FIRST MONTH
2
Dedicated vCPU
16 GiB
Memory
400 GB
NVMe Storage
40 TB
Transfer
  • Fully Managed — server, mail, security
  • Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
  • Free S3 Storage — 800 GB included
  • Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
  • 500% SLA Guarantee
Order Now — Start for $56
50% OFF ⚡ CPU Powerhouse
Storage Optimized 32GB — Monthly
First month
$ 112 .00/mo
⚡ First month only — one-time offer
$224.00 → $224.00/mo from month 2
50% OFF FIRST MONTH
4
Dedicated vCPU
32 GiB
Memory
800 GB
NVMe Storage
80 TB
Transfer
  • Fully Managed — server, mail, security
  • Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
  • Free S3 Storage — 1600 GB included
  • Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
  • 500% SLA Guarantee
Order Now — Start for $112
50% OFF 🔥 Hundreds of Sites
Storage Optimized 48GB — Monthly
First month
$ 168 .00/mo
⚡ First month only — one-time offer
$336.00 → $336.00/mo from month 2
50% OFF FIRST MONTH
6
Dedicated vCPU
48 GiB
Memory
1200 GB
NVMe Storage
120 TB
Transfer
  • Fully Managed — server, mail, security
  • Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
  • Free S3 Storage — 2400 GB included
  • Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
  • 500% SLA Guarantee
Order Now — Start for $168
First month up to 80% off on monthly billing — your first month from $2.00, then regular price from month 2. Prepaid plans save up to 25% every month — pay for 3 years at the best rate every month. Discount applies to server and management fee. Software licenses billed at full price and are not discounted.
Every plan is fully managed — Learn what full management includes
Compare All Plans
Pros & cons

What makes AlmaLinux the right — and wrong — choice.

An honest assessment to help you decide if AlmaLinux is the right OS for your Cloud Cube.

✓ Pros
  • Binary compatible with RHEL — software built for RHEL runs without modification
  • Drop-in replacement for CentOS — migration is straightforward with existing tooling
  • Required for cPanel/WHM — the only free OS that cPanel officially supports
  • CloudLinux upgrade path — easy in-place upgrade from AlmaLinux to CloudLinux
  • Enterprise-grade stability — conservative update cadence prioritizes reliability over freshness
  • Long-term support — each major release backed for years by the Foundation
  • Large ecosystem — RPM packages, broad third-party software support
  • FIPS 140-3 certified — suitable for compliance-heavy environments
✗ Cons
  • Older packages — conservative release cycle means newer software versions lag behind Ubuntu
  • DNF/RPM learning curve — admins familiar with apt/Debian may need adjustment
  • No rolling updates — major version upgrades require a deliberate migration step
  • Smaller community than Ubuntu — fewer tutorials and Stack Overflow answers
  • Not ideal for cutting-edge stacks — Node.js, Python, or modern frameworks may need manual repos
Best for

AlmaLinux shines in these workloads.

If your workload involves cPanel, DirectAdmin, or a CentOS migration, AlmaLinux is almost always the right choice.

cPanel & WHM servers

The only free OS officially supported by cPanel/WHM — required for running cPanel-based hosting.

DirectAdmin servers

Fully supported by DirectAdmin with the widest compatibility for hosting control panel features.

CentOS migrations

Binary compatible with CentOS 7/8 workloads — migration tools allow in-place OS upgrades via ELevate.

Production web hosting

Stable, predictable release cycle ideal for shared hosting platforms and web agencies running client sites.

Compliance environments

FIPS 140-3 certified — suitable for environments with government or financial compliance requirements.

CloudLinux upgrade path

The easiest path to CloudLinux OS — in-place upgrade available for multi-tenant hosting environments.

Control panel compatibility

AlmaLinux is the most compatible OS for hosting control panels.

More control panels support AlmaLinux than any other distribution — making it the default choice for hosting-focused servers.

Control PanelCompatibleNotes
RemarkablePanel—Ubuntu only — see RemarkablePanel page
cPanel & WHMRequired OS — cPanel only supports AlmaLinux and CloudLinux
DirectAdminFully supported
WebuzoFully supported
EnhanceFully supported
PleskFully supported
Other operating systems

Explore other OS options on Cloud Cubes.

Ubuntu LTS

Free · Largest community

Debian

Free · Ultra-stable

CloudLinux

Licensed · Multi-tenant

Windows Server 2025

Licensed · IIS & .NET

Deploy AlmaLinux on a fully managed Cloud Cube.

Select AlmaLinux during checkout — free OS, no license required. Our team handles patching, security, and monitoring from day one.

See Cloud Cube plans AlmaLinux official site